Erstwhile Scumbag

I think what’s tricky here is that there is a very solid ‘first principles’ argument for scrapping the license fee, but conservatives also have reasons that clearly cross over into political vendetta.

I think everyone (on both sides of the debate) should try and decouple those things. It may be that Dominic Cummings and other Tories want to destroy the BBC because they think it’s stuffed with avocado-on-toast-munching Guardian readers who can’t be trusted to report the news ‘impartially’, but the quickest way to kill worthwhile discussion of this topic is to frame it in that BBC vs. the Government way, and then pick a side, depending on how much or little you like the current government. There are issues here that transcend party-political rivalry.

Well-Known Member

The license fee has been unethical for a long time. The only argument ever put forward in support of it is "yeah but look at all the great stuff they make", of which there is not nearly enough in my view. I don't know whether the license fee needs to be scrapped entirely, but I do support the decriminalization of non-payment.

Erstwhile Scumbag

^ I think that incentivises people to behave badly. There are already folk accessing the content but not paying for it; why make that easier? It might be an effective way of hurting the BBC via defunding, but at what cost morally? A conservative government shouldn’t incentivise bad behaviour.

Well-Known Member

The license fee has been unethical for a long time. The only argument ever put forward in support of it is "yeah but look at all the great stuff they make", of which there is not nearly enough in my view. I don't know whether the license fee needs to be scrapped entirely, but I do support the decriminalization of non-payment.

What 'great stuff' is that? Shit loads of property, cooking and auction programmes, plus a god awful, right on Dr Who. Don't even start me on the News, which might as well be read by Rebecca Long-Bailey.